Taiwan should be recognized as a ‘free and sovereign country – former top US diplomat
Speaking during a visit to the island on Wednesday, former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that America should diplomatically recognize Taiwan as a “free and sovereign country.”
“It is my view that the United States government should immediately take necessary and long-overdue steps to do the right and obvious thing, that is to offer the Republic of China (Taiwan) America’s diplomatic recognition as a free and sovereign country,” Pompeo said.
He chose to refer to the island as the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name.
The ex-secretary of state was clear that this “isn’t about Taiwan’s future independence” but it is “about recognition of an unmistakable, already existing reality.”
During the speech to a Taipei-based think tank, Pompeo declared that the diplomatic recognition of Taiwan “can no longer be ignored, avoided or treated as secondary.”
The United States and Taiwan have considered each other allies, with America providing arms to the Asian nation despite having previously switched to diplomatic recognition of Beijing in 1979. Beijing has remained clear that Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory, stating that it is entitled to take control of the self-ruled democratic island at any point, by force if needed.
The current leader of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, who has won two elections, represents a party that favors independence but she has claimed that there is no need to declare independence, as the island already considers itself a sovereign nation.
Chinese officials have previously warned that any formal declaration of independence from Taiwan would be crossing a “red line” that could spark a war over the territory.
Following his speech on Wednesday, Tsai conferred an honorary medal on Pompeo, praising the former diplomat for facilitating “multiple breakthroughs” in Taiwan-US relations during his time as secretary of state.
